Is the church being corrupted?

Almost every day recently, someone e-mails us about a study done by MarketCast supposedly showing that conservative, red state, fundamentalist Christians go to more violent, R-rated films than do liberals. Our wonderful editor, Dr. Tom Snyder, asked what movies they used in the study, expecting to hear “The Passion,” “Amistad,” “Dead Man Walking,” and other movies with redemptive violence, but instead found that they were talking about movies like “Kill Bill” and “American Pie,” which are abhorrent.

The nature of this study can be interpreted in various ways, so it may not be as dark and gloomy as it appears. However, many of the people e-mailing it to MOVIEGUIDE? are gleefully happy to show how rotten Christians are.

Therefore, even if it’s not as bad as it seems, it underlines a very serious problem, the drum that we have been beating for a long time: Christians need to be involved in culture – shaping, changing, redeeming and reforming the culture; and, we need to be very careful that culture doesn’t corrupt or undermine our faith. We need to be the agents of change, rather than the other way around.

To do so, we need to understand biblical media wisdom and be very careful about the choices we make. Not everybody is going to be negatively influenced by some of these abhorrent movies, but the Bible says not to even give an appearance of evil. If we go to these movies, MarketCast, which serves the major movie companies, is going to say exactly what it did say – that conservative, evangelical Christians are hypocrites who “vote” for the “worst” movies.

In other words, in order not to give an appearance of evil, we must follow what God’s Word says in 1 Corinthians 10:31-33:

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory. Give no offense to the Jews or the Greeks or the church of God, just as I also try to please all people in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

This shocking study confirms what we’ve already known for years and re-emphasizes the need for MOVIEGUIDE? and “The Media-Wise Family.” We are here to help you and the church. Please let us do just that.